A Fire Still Burning
by GeekLord
Summary: It has been five years since the war ended, and the Fire Nation is at peace. But that doesn't mean that the other nations are. Zutara in later chapters. Read and Review!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Alas, Avatar is not mine. Doesn't that stink? **

The crystal ice shards twinkled eerily in the moonlight. Hundreds of looming dark shapes were crowded around a tall and thin man, whose back stood stiff and proud against the bitter northern wind. "But Pakku," protested a

bulky young man from the back of the crowd, "The Fire Nation has been at peace for the past five years." The old man in the center snorted.

"They were not so peaceful when they were tearing apart our families and burning our cities!" cried Pakku. "Five years of peace does not erase one hundred years of pain and suffering! The current Fire Lord has bad blood. It is

tainted with hate and anger, just like his father, and his grandfather before him! Fire Lord Zuko will succumb to his violent nature eventually, and when he does, we will be at the Fire Nation's mercy once again." Pakku raised the

ice beneath his feet so that he stood on an icy pedestal. Towering over the other soldiers and benders, he shouted, " The day of black sun is returning! And this time, our invasion will succeed. Our Earthbenders and

Waterbenders will tear apart their cities! We will drown their families! We will kill all of the soldiers! We will storm the palace! And we will give that Fire Lord a taste of his Nation's own medicine!" Pakku raised a fist in the air, and

the gesture was mimicked below him. Loud throaty roars erupted from the throats of the men, but Pakku stood silent, his eyes glinting.

**A/N: I know it's short, but the next chapter will be a lot longer. :) Please review? With a virtual cookie on top?**


	2. Chapter 1: Tidal Waves and Earthquakes

**Disclaimer: It's not mine, it never has been, and it never will be. Or will it? -evil laughter-**

Princess Azula was in the garden, staring at the turtleducks in the pond. Mai was beside her, and the two girls said nothing, but they appreciated the comfortable silence. Mai pulled a piece of bread from her pocket, and Azula

took it with a small smile. Mai watched as Azula fed the piece of bread to a baby turtleduck. Azula said softly, "They like me now." Mai shrugged.

"Well, now you don't throw rocks at them." Mai frowned when Azula shot her a glare. "They always liked you, Azula, they were just a little afraid of you. Now they know that it's okay to show their affection." Mai leaned against

the tree trunk, tilting her head to look at the sky. "You're different now Azula. You're nicer, more rational, and just…better."

Azula stroked the small turtleduck with her pinky finger. "Thanks to Mother. Zuzu helped too, I guess. He got me out of prison, and he found Mom for me. I didn't deserve it." Azula looked down at the ground, her eyes clouding

over. "Mother says that she never thought I was a monster. She thinks that I'm perfect." Azula grinned and leaned against the tree trunk just like Mai. "I always was perfect, of course, but now it's more prominent," she teased

in a humorous and sarcastic tone. Azula looked over at Mai, whose head was now nodding off to one side, with her eyelids closed. Azula scrunched up her nose, annoyed. "Am I that boring?" Mai's eyes stay closed, but her head

nodded up and down slowly against the tree trunk. Azula flopped over on the grass and picked up the leftover bread. She chucked it at Mai's head as hard as she could. Mai could hardly feel the soft bread bouncing off of her

temple, but her eyes snapped open anyway.

"Finally, some fun," she said with a yawn.

--LINE BREAK--

Zuko was in the library, surrounded by dozens of scrolls that needed signing, letters that needed replying, reports that needed reading and a bunch of other documents that Zuko had long forgotten. Zuko lifted his head groggily

from his desk, some ink from a freshly written letter smudged onto his face. He was free of his topknot, and the golden flame-shaped headpiece was sitting on a pile of books a few feet away. Being Fire Lord was a stressful job.

Zuko was forced to skip meals, and to stay up late. Admirals, Ambassadors, and diplomats were constantly demanding things of him. Zuko hadn't slept at all in the past four days, and his sleepiness had persuaded his Uncle to

take over some of the workload. Zuko was extremely grateful. Yesterday Zuko had spent three hours listening to a very short and fat man squeaking about how the Squirrelfinches would soon be extinct if Zuko allowed his

Imperial Firebenders to keep hunting them. Squirrelfinches were among the most boring animals on the planet, and Zuko was positive that hunting them would prove as exciting as killing a worm. The majority of the Fire Sages

were vegetarians, and they would probably have a heart attack if they stepped on an animal, let alone kill it. Zuko tried to assure the man that the Squirrelfinches were not in any danger, and that they were one of the most

common species on the planet, but the fat man wouldn't listen. All of his pastries must have clogged up his brain or something, Zuko had thought desperately. Zuko finally lost his temper, and shouted at the man to exit the

throne room. Nasty rumors about him being a schizophrenic madman were probably circulating the nation, but Zuko didn't care. If Zuko hadn't interrupted him, he would probably still be squeaking on and on about the sacred

Squirrelfinches.

Zuko ran a hand through his shaggy black hair and looked up at the giant skylight embedded in the ruby-encrusted ceiling. The Day of Black Sun was returning once again, and Zuko wanted to see the phenomenon this time. His

plans would have to wait.

A Fire Sage burst into the library, his robes tousled and all sense of dignity forgotten. "My lord!" he hastily explained, "There's an invasion! Earthbenders and Waterbenders-" he was cut short when a jade-tipped arrow sailed

through his chest. The Fire Sage collapsed, dead. Zuko erupted out of his chair, and swung his two hands together, lightning sizzling at his fingertips, ready to strike. His lightning fizzled out and died, and so did the torches on

the wall.

"Yes, and eclipse will do that to you," drawled a cold and cruel voice. Several figures entered the darkened room. A taller figure soon followed them. This figure stepped forward, so Zuko could see his face. It was Pakku.

**A/N: I'm not really happy with how this turned out. What do you guys think? It sounded a lot better in my head. Oh well. Review? Pretty pretty please? With virtual ice cream on top? Yes, i give bribes. I'm shameless. **


	3. Chapter 2: Just like old times?

**Disclaimer: It's not mine. Take that lawyers!**

**Note: I think I made this a little unclear before, so I'm going to clarify it. The Fire Nation was completely unprepared for the invasion. The war is over, and ambassadors from all of the nations were friendly towards Zuko and his council. Zuko and the rest of his nation believed the world was at peace. **

**--**

Aang hefted a heavy bag onto Appa's saddle. "Come on Suki!" he yelled excitedly, "We're gonna go see Sifu Hotman!" Suki clambered into to the saddle, seating herself next to Sokka. Aang looked around.

"Is that everything?"

Sokka shrugged.

"Tents?" asked Aang.

"Check," replied Katara.

"Sleeping bags?"

"Check"

"Sokka's pants?"

"Surprisingly, check," replied Katara with a smirk.

Sokka snorted. "That was ONE time, so stop picking on me." Sokka stuck out his lower lip and pretended to pout.

Suki grinned. "I thought you looked cute." Sokka raised an eyebrow triumphantly, as if not having pants was now a major fashion-trend.

Toph pretended to vomit.

Aang held back a laugh, and continued going through the list. "Momo?" An answering screech came from inside Sokka's sleeping bag. "I guess we're good to go then," finished Aang. "Yip-yip!" Appa lurched into the sky, and Toph placed a reassuring hand on her stomach. She didn't like flying. They flew for a few minutes in silence, but Suki voiced a question.

"What if Zuko doesn't remember us?"

Sokka scoffed. "How could he not remember these?" Sokka raised an arm and flexed his bicep, pointing to it excitedly.

Suki had a point, though, thought Katara. The rest of the GaAng had been living in the Earth Kingdom for the past five years, helping remodel the Fire Nation colonies into Earth Kingdom territory once again. It had been a tedious task, and the GaAng was extremely proud of what they had strived to accomplish. The rest of the world had seemed very peaceful, and Aang was grateful. If he had received word of the other nations fighting, he might have had another mini-breakdown. In the last five years, a lot had happened. Katara's Gran-Gran had passed away from pneumonia shortly after the war had ended, leaving Pakku, Hakoda, and Sokka devastated. Katara mourned briefly, but she knew that Gran-Gran was with her daughter in a better place, so she assured herself frequently that Gran-Gran was happy.

Aang and Katara had drifted apart; the age difference had become a bit of an issue, and they had begun to feel a little awkward around one another. Now Aang and Toph were a happy couple, and Katara was ecstatic to see Toph in such an uplifted mood. Sokka and Suki were engaged, and the marriage would take place in the Southern Water Tribe at the end of the summer. Hakoda had finally returned to his home, and he had been elected the Chief of the now impressive-looking South Pole. Katara was the only one in the GaAng who was alone. Traveling with the two happy couples made her feel like an unwelcome outsider. Katara tried not to dwell on this fact, but sometimes, the cold, hard truth hit her.

Zuko hadn't contacted his old friends in over five years. What if he had forgotten them? What if he had forgotten her?

**--LINE BREAK--**

It felt right to be back on Appa again, traveling over various mountains and grassy plains. It felt like home. Katara dangled her hand over the side of the saddle, letting the warm wind caress her fingertips. Katara's comfort was interrupted, however, when Aang let out a small, "Whoa."

Sokka, who had been resting his head on Suki's shoulder, said "Wha-at?" His voice cracked. He cleared his throat and hastily said, "I mean…what's up?" Aang pointed below him. Katara craned her neck over the side of the saddle to see.

The ground below them was blanketed in a huge layer of crimson and black flags, the fire nation insignia on all of them.

"Is it a ceremony?" asked Suki from the other side of the saddle. The blankets were suddenly ignited, and trails of black smoke rose into the air, making Momo sneeze rather violently.

"No." Said Aang slowly, "It's a funeral. A cremation. For hundreds of people." Aang gripped his fingers tightly in the fur on the back of Appa's head. "Something terrible happened here, and I didn't stop it."

**A/N: Overall, I think this chapter was a lot better than the last one. I hope I portrayed Sokka correctly. I wanted to add a little humor to this chapter, because the ending is so serious. Next chapter, Aang, Sokka, Suki, Toph, (and Katara!) will talk to Azula and Zuko, and they will find out about the unexpected invasion. I want to thank you guys for reviewing. They're really fun to read, and the comments help me a lot. This is only my second fanfic, so constructive criticism is appreciated. Please Review! :)**


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